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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23825368">Unshakable</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MxTicketyBoo/pseuds/MxTicketyBoo'>MxTicketyBoo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bow and Shield [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bathing/Washing, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, First Time, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, Hair Washing, Love Confessions, M/M, Oral Sex, Porn with Feelings, Post-Blue Lions Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Post-Time Skip, Rimming, Sharing a Bath, partially clothed, thigh highs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:40:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23825368</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MxTicketyBoo/pseuds/MxTicketyBoo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite Felix's surliness and the way he’d always kept people at arm’s length, including his closest friends, Ashe persisted, optimistic and kind even in the face of his own personal hardships, always quick to offer encouragement when someone else was feeling low. He’d wormed his way into Felix’s heart, and Felix never planned to let him go. </p><p>--- </p><p>Or: After the war, Felix and Ashe return to Fhirdiad and make plans for their future.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Felix Hugo Fraldarius</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bow and Shield [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716658</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>81</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unshakable</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>When Ashe proposes in his S support with f!Byleth, he says he’s just a commoner and nothing special. He’s such a sweet, precious boy I really wished for a dialogue option to reassure him that he’s not only special, he’s absolutely amazing! (I love him so much. OMG.) Alas, that wasn’t a choice, so instead, I’m having him say the same thing to Felix and letting Felix give him the response I would’ve preferred to give him during my play-through. :D</p><p>This is a follow-up to my fic, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23097877">Inexorable</a>, so if you haven’t read that one and prefer to read things in order, check it out! I started this intending to write something short and smutty with them as an established couple, but tbh, it’s mostly feelings. What can I say, I’m a sap.</p><p>Thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/dustofwarfare/pseuds/dustofwarfare">dustofwarfare</a> for the beta read! &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After Edelgard fell in Enbarr, Felix Fraldarius had two distinct thoughts: finally, he could take what felt like his first deep breath in over five years, and then, <em> what now? </em></p><p>There was little time for celebration. The city had to be secured, any stragglers rounded up, and someone would have to be left in charge while Dimitri returned to the palace in Fhirdiad. Felix would not be the one to stay behind. Even if he didn’t have Fraldarius territory to consider, he’d never want to remain in Adrestia. He wasn’t quite sure what he <em> did </em> want to do, but he knew where he didn’t want to be, so he joined the march back to the Kingdom capital with Dimitri, Byleth, and, of course, Ashe.</p><p>It was a long and arduous journey—camping where they could, sharing what meager rations remained after so many months of fighting. Food was still difficult to come by, given how many fields had been destroyed over the course of countless battles, and Dimitri had been insistent they replenish only the barest of necessities from the stores in Enbarr. The imperial citizens needed those resources. The war-ravaged villages throughout both Adrestia and the Kingdom still suffered, and would, Felix believed, for quite a while. Rebuilding efforts would take years, but now that the war was finished, time was at least a luxury they could afford.</p><p>He and Ashe shared a tent along the way. Some people knew what they were to each other; some only speculated. It wasn’t as if they were the only two soldiers to bunk together, although for most, the decision was purely economical. Felix didn’t care what anyone thought, not even their friends, though they seemed to approve. All that mattered to Felix was that they’d survived. By some miracle of the goddess—and perhaps, in part, thanks to Byleth’s skill as a tactician—he and his Blue Lions housemates had lived to see the end of the war. Despite numerous close calls, they were still standing. Older, world-weary, and bearing <em> more </em> scars, but alive. That meant a lot, when for so long, that fate had not been guaranteed to any of them.</p><p>When they finally reached the palace, exhaustion rode Felix hard. He wanted to collapse on the closest bed and sleep for a week. Of course, he knew he’d wake with the dawn regardless, his blood pumping and his body primed for battle. It would take years to shake that instinct. Maybe a lifetime. Even before the war, he’d been up early to train, and he didn’t see that changing now. He wouldn’t let his blade go rusty, no matter what decisions he made about his future.</p><p>Instead of lingering in the great hall with the others, Felix immediately grabbed Ashe by the arm and steered him toward the palace suites reserved for House Fraldarius. He hadn’t stayed in them in years, not since the days he made regular visits to the royal family with his father, but he remembered the way. Still, he allowed one of the maids to lead them there when she offered and thanked her when she mentioned that the rooms had been aired and a fire started in the hearth once the staff had been alerted to their impending arrival.</p><p>Ashe appeared both tired and overwhelmed as he peered around, taking in the opulence of the palace, the woven tapestries and massive paintings adorning the stone walls, the sculptures and suits of ceremonial armor tucked away into alcoves, clear signs of wealth and status. He looked intimidated, and Felix knew Ashe was probably thinking about his past—where he’d come from, what he’d done, all the stories Felix had heard over shared meals these many weeks. Ashe had probably already deemed himself unworthy of walking these hallowed halls, even though he’d fought for the crown, alongside their king, and been as pivotal to their victory as anyone else, noble and commoner alike.</p><p>The maid stopped in front of the door that led to the Fraldarius suites, pushed it open with a bow, and answered “Yes, Your Grace,” when Felix requested hot water for the tub. A bathing room adjoined the bedchamber, a courtesy afforded to their family because of his late father’s title. As much as Felix still questioned whether he wanted to assume that title himself, he was grateful for the privilege it offered them now.</p><p>Weeks of dirt, sweat, and dust had accumulated on his skin and clothing, and no amount of quick washes with water from a flask or dips in rivers or frigid lakes could make him feel clean. Felix needed heat and soap, and most importantly, <em> time </em> . Life on the road wasn’t exactly conducive to cleanliness. For one, there was the constant cold, which made people hesitant to remove any layers they didn’t absolutely <em> have </em> to. Beyond that, it had been rare, between all the marching and breaking down or setting up their nightly encampments, to have more than a few minutes for washing. There’d been no opportunities at all for long, thorough scrubbings.</p><p>It took a good while for the bath to be ready. Even with the aid of fire magic to heat the water, it still had to be brought up by the bucketful. While they waited, Felix and Ashe stripped to their breeches and snacked on the tray of fruit, smoked meat, and cheese the maid had delivered. It wasn’t a proper meal, but it was more than they'd had in a long time and plenty enough to ease the ache in their bellies.</p><p>After, Felix pulled Ashe into the tub with him. It was a tight fit, and Ashe was mostly in his lap, but Felix didn’t want to leave Ashe waiting or allow the steaming water to cool while he took his turn. Instead, he grabbed the chunk of lavender soap from the small dish where it sat with a couple vials of scented oils, lathered up his hands, and then passed it to Ashe for him to do the same.</p><p>They washed each other slowly, slippery hands trailing over warm, wet skin. Felix relished the sensation of Ashe’s nimble fingers massaging his scalp and shampooing his hair, which was getting long enough to be unruly—or, well, <em> more </em> unruly—and he happily returned the favor afterward, pushing Ashe’s sodden gray locks off his forehead, tracing the slender line of his neck, sliding his soap-slick palms over Ashe’s chest. Ashe was all scars, fair skin, and freckles over wiry muscle. He’d filled out since their Academy days—gotten a bit taller, a little broader in the shoulders. Now he and Felix were about the same size. That made kissing as simple as leaning in once they were finished and standing next to the tub, rinsed clean and mostly dry.</p><p>Ashe murmured in surprise against his mouth, but returned the kiss, his strong, lean arms wrapping around Felix’s waist.</p><p>Felix fought back a hard shiver as Ashe’s bare body pressed flush against his. They’d never had the opportunity to be entirely naked in front of each other. In the weeks after taking Fort Merceus and the eventual march on Enbarr, they’d had to contend with constant stress, battle training, strategy meetings, and the endless scramble to locate more supplies, mend tents, repair weapons. They’d lacked the time, the privacy, and, most often, the energy to do much more than wrap their arms around one another and sleep at the end of each night. Their few times together had been frantic and rushed, just hands and mouths and desperate grinding. It hadn’t been enough, but they’d taken what pleasure they could. Now, in spite of his exhaustion and the persistent hunger, Felix wanted Ashe. This would be their personal celebration, locked away in these chambers where no one would interrupt them. At least, not until morning.</p><p>Felix didn’t want to wait another second.</p><p>Ashe’s hands found their way into his wet hair, and Felix grunted softly at the painful tug on his scalp when his fingers got snarled in a tangle. Ashe pulled back and smiled at him. “Let me comb your hair and put it up. If we leave it like this, it’ll only be worse to get the knots out later.”</p><p>Felix tried to shake his head. “I don’t care.”</p><p>Ashe kissed him again. “I do. Just let me, Felix. We have all night. We have the rest of our lives.” He paused and gave a startled, delighted laugh. “Oh, Felix, it feels so good to say that.” Ashe took his hands. “Please, let me take care of you.”</p><p>Felix grumbled, but gave in with a reluctant nod. He led the way into the bedchamber and dug his comb from his bags, handing it to Ashe. “Here. But be quick, all right. I want…”</p><p>“I know. I do, too.” Ashe went to the bed and sat on the edge, spreading his naked thighs. “Come sit here,” he said, indicating the space between them.</p><p>Felix swallowed and tried not to get distracted by Ashe’s half-hard cock or all the bare skin on display. He took a seat where instructed, and for a while, there was nothing but the soft roar of the fire and Ashe’s quiet humming as he gingerly worked through the tangles.</p><p>The simple act of having someone else tend his hair was something Felix hadn’t experienced since he was a child, with his mother, and later, his nursemaid. He was never this gentle when he combed it himself, only doing as much as he had to before pulling it back into a messy ponytail and calling it finished. But he wasn’t surprised Ashe would take greater care with him than Felix would ever do for himself.</p><p>When the damp mass of his hair was finally untangled, Ashe braided it loosely and left the bed long enough to go into the bathing room. He returned with a familiar strip of leather Felix had discarded earlier and used it to secure the end of the braid. Felix noticed then, as Ashe's lips brushed across his shoulder, that the cord wasn’t the only thing Ashe brought back with him. A vial of scented oil sat on the bed, near the pillows.</p><p>Felix held it aloft, which made Ashe blush lightly, but he didn’t duck his head or look away as Felix expected.</p><p>“I thought this would work,” Ashe said. “If you still wanted to…?”</p><p>“I do.” Felix was more relaxed than he’d been in ages, thanks to the bath and Ashe’s ministrations, but the low simmer of desire still thrummed in his veins.</p><p>“I haven’t…” Ashe trailed off and licked his lips. “But I’ve read about it, in books. And I’ve done a bit on my own.”</p><p>Felix had known Ashe was inexperienced, of course, ever since the first time they touched each other in the woods prior to the battle at Fort Merceus. Felix honestly didn’t have as much experience as Ashe probably thought he did. During the five years after Garreg Mach fell to Edelgard’s troops, he’d had a handful of encounters, all with strangers, and only when the need got too intense to bear. The need for something carnal and crude, to let himself be used, and for a while, forget who he was, his responsibilities, how powerless he felt to help his friends or save the people around him from imperial rule. He’d allowed a few men to fuck him—men he’d never met before, and never intended to see after. Some of those experiences had been better than others. But he’d never been intimate with someone he cared about. In that way, at least, they were on equal footing. And now that the war was finally over and the empire had fallen, now that he and Ashe could finally just <em> be </em>, he’d have no need for those anonymous encounters. Not anymore.</p><p>“I’ll show you what to do.” Felix set the vial aside for the time being, leaned back against the pillows, and beckoned Ashe closer. “Come here.”</p><p>He didn’t have to tell Ashe twice. Ashe crawled onto the bed, between Felix’s spread thighs, and covered Felix’s body with his own. His mouth, when it found Felix’s, was impatient and fierce. They were good at this part now. Felix knew how deep Ashe preferred to kiss, how much tongue he liked, how sharp little bites at his lower lip made Ashe tremble and moan.</p><p>Ashe’s hard cock brushed his stomach, the damp tip leaving a trail of slick warmth in its wake. Felix reached between them to take Ashe into his fist, rubbing his thumb across the slit. Ashe whimpered and pushed into his touch, and Felix kissed him again, deeper, harder.</p><p>When they broke apart, Ashe was flushed and panting. “I—Felix. How do you want—do you want me to—”</p><p>“Yes,” Felix said, stroking him again, from base to the sensitive head. Ashe shuddered above him, his eyelids half-mast. “Fuck me.” Felix patted around for the vial with his free hand and released Ashe so he could pour a small amount into his palm. He used it to slick Ashe’s cock, and then reached down between his own legs to rub the remainder over his entrance, slowly circling before pressing inside with one finger.</p><p>Ashe grabbed for the oil. “Wait. Let me, please.”</p><p>Felix nodded shakily and removed his hand so Ashe could touch him.</p><p>Ashe slid a slippery finger inside, his expression full of wonderment as he pushed in to the last knuckle. “Goddess. You’re so beautiful, Felix.”</p><p>Felix squeezed his eyes shut, heat suffusing his cheeks, embarrassment and pleasure commingling. He both loathed and loved this sort of praise. Especially from Ashe. He wanted Ashe to like his appearance, of course he did. But he couldn’t bear to meet Ashe’s gaze while Ashe looked at him so tenderly. It was too much. “Another one. Give me another one.”</p><p>“Anything you want,” Ashe said. “I just want to make you feel good.”</p><p>His finger withdrew and then he thrust in with two, making Felix catch his breath and arch his back. “Ah—there’s a spot. If you feel around, you—” He broke off, shaking, when Ashe found it and rubbed with firm pressure.</p><p>“I know.” Felix heard the smile in Ashe’s voice. “I’ve done this to myself. Found it quite by accident the first time.”</p><p>Felix opened his eyes to look at him then, and Ashe blew him a kiss, his green eyes hot but sparkling with good humor.</p><p>“Fuck.” Groaning, Felix shoved his head back into the pillows. How could Ashe be so adorable, playful and teasing even while simultaneously driving Felix mad with the slow, steady motion of his fingers? “You’re the beautiful one,” Felix told him, gruffly.</p><p>This time, Ashe leaned down to kiss him directly. “Felix,” Ashe whispered against his mouth. “I love you.”</p><p>Felix groaned again and buried his hand in Ashe’s hair, holding him there so Felix could kiss him some more. He was so very sweet. What had Felix done to deserve him? Normally Felix didn’t like sweet, but Ashe was, as ever, the exception to his rules. He made it impossible for Felix to remain detached. Felix should maybe resent that, resent <em> Ashe </em> for breaking through his barriers and making him face some of the things he’d rather push down and ignore. Instead, all he can feel is gratitude. Despite his surliness and the way he’d always kept people at arm’s length, including his closest friends, Ashe persisted, optimistic and kind even in the face of his own personal hardships, always quick to offer encouragement when someone else was feeling low. He’d wormed his way into Felix’s heart, and Felix never planned to let him go.</p><p>“Love you, too.” The words were rough with pent-up emotion, ripped by the roots from a place Felix usually preferred not to acknowledge. But it was worth it, opening himself up, baring that vulnerability to Ashe, if only to hear Ashe’s desperate whimper and feel the way he trembled in response.</p><p>Ashe gently pulled his fingers free, sitting back to look at Felix. His lips were parted and swollen from their kisses, his hair a mess from the bath and Felix’s grasping fingers. Ashe’s gaze moved over him like a physical caress. Felix shivered, pulling his knees toward his chest.</p><p>“Like this?” Ashe asked.</p><p>Felix nodded, and Ashe moved closer, positioning the head of his cock right where Felix needed it most. He slid inside with careful, excruciating slowness, his eyes constantly going to Felix’s face, searching for signs of discomfort.</p><p>“I can take it,” Felix told him. “It’s fine. You won’t hurt me.”</p><p>Ashe took him at his word and buried himself to the hilt with a hard thrust. The stretch was delicious—Ashe’s cock going deeper than his fingers ever could. Felix tossed his head back, a moan tearing from his throat.</p><p>Ashe went still, his gaze jerking to Felix’s, but he must have been able to tell by Felix’s expression that the sound had been pleasure not pain, because he started moving after a second, still somewhat hesitant at first, then faster, harder, as he gained confidence.</p><p>“<em>Yes </em>,” Felix hissed. “Like that. Keep going.”</p><p>“You f-feel amazing,” Ashe choked out. He leaned over Felix, gripping the backs of Felix’s thighs, and his cock brushed that sensitive spot as his hips found a rhythm that made Felix’s mind shut down.</p><p>Felix couldn’t think of anything but the feel of him, the slip and drag of his length as Ashe moved inside him, the pressure against his hole when Ashe pressed in deep. It left Felix gasping, his skin sheened in sweat, tendrils of loose hair clinging to his damp cheeks and forehead.</p><p>Ashe might be new to this, but he was a quick study, and by now, more than used to Felix’s tells when it came to what made him feel good. He read Felix’s reactions and adjusted to them effortlessly, going harder without Felix needing to ask, maintaining a pace that had Felix panting, already on the brink of coming without even touching his cock. He kept Felix right where he wanted him with an unshakable grip, dexterous hands and wiry muscles masking deceptive strength.</p><p>All Felix could do was lie there and take it, bent nearly in half, heat building in his pelvis, fingers clutching at Ashe’s shoulders to anchor himself. The floral scent of the oil hung heavy in the air, warmed by their straining bodies. Roses, Felix thought, and lavender from the soap they’d used. He’d never be able to smell them again without remembering this.</p><p>Ashe’s agonized moan was all the warning he had before Ashe thrust in one last time, so hard the sensation echoed in Felix’s hipbones, threw his head back, and came with the sound of Felix’s name falling from his lips and his face screwed up in pleasure. He was <em> glorious </em>.</p><p>Ashe collapsed on top of him, panting into the space where Felix’s neck met his shoulder. Then he pulled back with a murmur of apology. “Sorry, I… I couldn’t help it.” Without further hesitation, he slid down Felix’s body, dropping kisses and gentle nips along the way, and took Felix’s cock into his mouth.</p><p>Felix gasped, immediately pushing up, trying to get more of that slick warmth. Ashe took him to the back of his throat and pressed two fingers inside him, sliding them in as deep as they could go and once again seeking out that place that put Felix right back on the precipice of his release.</p><p>Ashe pumped his fingers <em> hard</em>, and Felix promptly unraveled. An expected cry escaped him—wild, high-pitched, and verging on a sob. Felix spilled into Ashe’s waiting mouth with his spine arched, thighs tensed and shaking. Ashe kept up the motion of his hand and sucked on the tip of his cock until Felix went boneless, almost melting into the bed.</p><p>He grabbed Ashe’s wrist and squeezed lightly. “E-enough,” he said, his body racked by a shiver as Ashe carefully withdrew his touch.</p><p>Ashe scattered kisses across his nose and flushed cheeks, whispering praise—how good Felix felt, how lovely he looked—and then left the bed. He returned a few minutes later with damp cloth. He used it to clean Felix’s sweaty face and neck, then down his chest and farther below. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“M’fine,” Felix said, still a little breathless, both pleased and embarrassed by Ashe’s thoughtfulness. No one had ever tried to take care of him, never offered him this kind of consideration. Frankly, he wasn’t entirely sure how to cope with it. “Tired. Hungry. And you?”</p><p>“I’m great,” Ashe answered with a smile. “Hungry, too, actually.” He set the cloth on the night table and turned toward his bag. “I’ll get dressed and find the kitchens—”</p><p>Felix snagged his forearm, shaking his head. “No. Stay here. We can ask for something to be brought up.”</p><p>“I don’t mind going, really. I don’t need anyone to wait on me.”</p><p>Felix sat up on the edge of the bed and pulled Ashe between his thighs. “Just this once, all right? We’ll eat, and then go back to bed.” He tried for a teasing smile. “You don’t think we’re finished yet, do you?”</p><p>Ashe cupped the side of his face, his eyes questioning. “It was good? I’m sorry I was so fast, I—”</p><p>Felix cut him off with a kiss. “You were perfect.”</p><p>“Yeah?” Ashe kissed him again, soft and lingering. “I’ll be even better next time. I’ll make you feel amazing.”</p><p>Felix leaned against him, relaxing into the touch as Ashe stroked his back. “You already do.”</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>When Felix woke in the dead of night, the space next to him was empty. He sat up in bed, brushing hair out of his face as his eyes instinctively scanned his surroundings. It took only seconds to find his quarry. Ashe sat on the thick carpet in front of the hearth, his face turned away from Felix, toward the blazing fire he must have recently stoked.</p><p>Felix slid from the bed, naked, and pulled the blanket around his shoulders. He crossed the room, drawn to the heat of the flames and, even more strongly, to Ashe himself.</p><p>Ashe looked up with a small smile as Felix approached, his fingers stroking over something in his lap. Upon closer inspection, Felix realized it was one of the dark-blue gaiters he wore over his boots and leggings. Felix arched his brows but didn’t comment, instead sitting on the carpet next to Ashe, who was bare save for his loose braies. Felix draped the blanket around them both, cocooning them in warmth.</p><p>“Can’t sleep?” Felix asked, his voice rough from disuse.</p><p>Ashe shrugged a shoulder. “Just thinking. My mind won’t stop. The war is finally over, but there’s still so much to be done. It’ll be years until things are even close to normal again. The new normal, I mean. It won’t ever be like it was before.”</p><p>Whether that was a good or a bad thing, Felix wasn’t entirely certain. In war, every side believed its cause to be just and saw the opposition as the villains of their story. On some level, Felix understood and even respected what Edelgard had been trying to achieve. He’d never particularly cared about his own Crest or noble status, he bore no loyalty toward the church, and he didn’t judge others by their bloodline or their possession of a Crest—or lack thereof. In his allies, Felix valued skill, dedication, and strength above all. He never paid attention to where anyone was born or to whom. So, to give Edelgard credit, he <em> did </em> see the appeal of a society in which the class system was rendered obsolete and an individual could either sink or swim based on personal merit alone. But Edelgard and her conspirators had cut such a devastating path. Too bloody, even for a man who lived by the blade like Felix. He had his own code of honor, if nothing else.</p><p>“Do you know what you’ll do?” Ashe asked, pulling Felix out of his musings.</p><p>“What <em> we’ll </em> do,” Felix corrected. “If that’s still what you want?”</p><p>“Of course.” Ashe reached for his hand and laced their fingers together. “I meant what I said that night. Where you go, I’ll go.”</p><p>“So we'll make the decision together.”</p><p>Ashe nodded. “What are you thinking, then?”</p><p>“I…” Felix hesitated. After all the time he’d spent with his emotions in turmoil over Dimitri—all the disgust and resentment, the concern, the longing for his childhood friend, and, more recently, his sense of impotence at wanting to help Dimitri but not knowing how—it wasn’t easy to admit that perhaps now, he might finally be ready to stand beside Dimitri, to aid him in becoming the rightful and compassionate leader Felix knew he could be. “I always scorned my father’s blind loyalty to the crown. I despised what he said after my brother died. It influenced my opinion of knighthood and chivalry for so many years.” Felix sighed, tipping his head back against the settee behind them. “My father even gave his life for his future king. He left me behind without thought or hesitation… and I hated him for that. But now, I… I think I’m beginning to understand his motivations.”</p><p>“You’d like to stay here in Fhirdiad,” Ashe said in understanding. “Assume the mantle of duke. Be a shield like your father was?”</p><p>“I think so, yes.”</p><p>Ashe leaned into his side. “It’s a good idea. I’m sure His Highness could use the support. He needs his friends and allies, especially now.”</p><p>Felix straightened up to look at him. “You’d be happy staying here with me? I want you to have the life you dreamed about.”</p><p>“Well… I won’t deny that toward the end of the war I started questioning whether or not knighthood was truly for me. There was so much killing and suffering, I…” Ashe dropped his gaze to their hands, their intertwined fingers. “But I don’t think it’ll be like that anymore, if I’m a knight for the Kingdom. If they’ll have me. The fighting is over, at least for now, and I’d like to support His Highness, too, in whatever way I can.” Ashe’s mouth curled into a tremulous smile. “Besides, the life I dream about is with you. I’m happy to follow where you lead. After all, you have more responsibilities than I do. I don’t have an entire duchy to worry about. I’m just a commoner. I’m nothing special.”</p><p>“There is nothing common about you,” Felix said fiercely. “You are special, to me and so many others.” The words were as difficult for Felix to say as telling Ashe he loved him. He’d never thought of himself as romantic or tender. Prickly, cold, tactless—that was how people often described him, and he couldn’t disagree. It didn’t come naturally to him, either offering compliments <em> or </em> comfort, but Felix knew what he felt for Ashe, and he couldn’t stand for Ashe to think so little of himself, as if his presence or desires didn’t matter, as if he didn’t brighten the entire world simply by <em> existing</em>. To Felix, nothing was more important than Ashe’s needs. “You are <em> everything </em>.”</p><p>Ashe’s eyes jerked up to his. He stared at Felix, his lips parted in quiet shock, and then his whole face just… softened. “Oh, Felix. You really do love me.”</p><p>“Of course.” Felix cleared his throat and slid his gaze away, awkward under the attention and such open adoration. “It’s settled, then. We’ll stay here. Together.” <em> Forever. </em></p><p>Ashe pressed a kiss to his shoulder with a low hum of assent. “Okay.”</p><p>In the ensuing silence, broken only by the crackling and occasional snap of wood in the fire, Felix caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked for the source and once again noticed the blue gaiter in Ashe’s lap. Ashe seemed to be toying with the leather fastenings on the cuff almost absentmindedly, his expression drowsy but content. He looked at risk of drifting off right where he sat.</p><p>“Why do you have that?” Felix asked.</p><p>“Hmm?” came Ashe’s sleepy reply. He followed Felix’s gaze, and a dusting of pink bloomed on his freckled cheeks. “Um.” He laughed lightly and dropped the gaiter to rub at the back of his neck. “Well, I saw them lying there and I started thinking about you… Thinking you might wear them the next time we…”</p><p>Felix sucked in a sharp breath. “<em>Oh</em>.” Heat swept over his body in a slow flush, from his face to his chest to his cock. Felix licked his lips, unable to prevent the rough shiver or a small, choked sound at the image Ashe’s words painted—Ashe bare and gleaming with sweat, Felix naked beneath him except for the gaiters from thigh to ankle.</p><p>The noise drew Ashe’s attention to him, and suddenly, Ashe lost the sleepy look, his clover green eyes darkening with want. “You… You’d like that?”</p><p>“I…” Felix nodded, throat dry. He reached for the other gaiter, which had been tossed over the arm of the settee when he undressed earlier, and handed that one to Ashe, too. “Put them on me?”</p><p>“Sure,” Ashe said. “It’ll be my pleasure.” Then he smiled—sweet, sexy, <em> eager </em>.</p><p>That smile made Felix hot all over. Grabbing Ashe’s nape, he dragged him into an open-mouthed kiss. Later, he’d probably be embarrassed by the desperate whine that tore out of him at the feel of Ashe’s warm, slick tongue, but for the moment, Felix was too distracted to think about anything besides getting Ashe inside him as soon as possible.</p><p>One of Ashe’s hands went to his cock, his grip familiar and confident now that they’d memorized each other’s bodies, learned what made the other gasp and pant and come hard enough to see stars. <em> Saints</em>, Felix wanted him so badly. It was as if he hadn’t already spent half the night with Ashe inside him, breathless and writhing amid tangled sheets.</p><p>After a few seconds, Ashe ended the kiss. He was still smiling, which made Felix’s heart trip in his chest. “Stand up,” he whispered, in a voice Felix had never heard him use outside of bed. Gentle, flirtatious, but absolutely firm. </p><p>If Felix was trembling as he obeyed, if his skin broke out in gooseflesh, he blamed it on the temperature in the room as the blanket fell to the floor. But he knew the truth, and Ashe probably did, too.</p><p>Felix’s hair hung loose around his shoulders—at some point, the leather cord had come free and been lost to the bedding. He didn’t care. They’d deal with the tangles come morning. Besides, he knew Ashe liked it when he wore it down.</p><p>Ashe kneeled in front of him and slowly slid on the gaiters, one after the other, securing them at Felix's feet and around each thigh with the leather straps on the sides. Felix hadn’t ever worn them like this, over just his bare legs, but judging by the enraptured expression on Ashe's face, Felix thought it might become a regular occurrence from now on.</p><p>“Look at you,” Ashe whispered, his fingers trailing up to Felix’s hips. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss right above the patch of hair at the root of Felix’s cock. “I can’t believe I get to touch you like this. I thought about it so many times. All the things I would do to you. All the things I wanted you to do to me.” He nuzzled at Felix’s navel and pressed another kiss there, lingering over one of the many scars that marked Felix’s fair skin. A tale of survival told through battle wounds. Ashe also had his share. Not unsightly blemishes, no. Badges of honor. In time, Felix would discover them all, learn every story behind them. But not tonight.</p><p>“I thought about it, too,” Felix admitted, his hands going to Ashe’s hair. He couldn’t let Ashe think he’d been alone in those fantasies.</p><p>Ashe ignored his stiffening cock and nibbled on one of Felix’s hipbones, eliciting a shiver and a breathless laugh.</p><p>“Ticklish?” Ashe arched his dark-gray brows.</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>Ashe grinned and repeated the gesture, laughing himself when Felix squirmed. “I’ll remember that. But for now…” He patted Felix’s thigh. “Kneel on the settee and brace your hands on the back.”</p><p>Felix exhaled shakily and followed instructions, even though his face blazed with heat. He’d never allow anyone but Ashe to see him like this. With the other men, he’d never entirely undressed, just shoved his clothing out of the way. But for Ashe, he’d let himself be vulnerable.</p><p>He watched out of the corner of his eye as Ashe went to the nightstand to retrieve the half-empty vial of oil. It was the second one from the bathing room, the first having been finished when they fell into bed together after dinner.</p><p>Ashe returned and set the vial next to Felix’s knee. Felix shivered when Ashe touched his nape, then trailed his fingertips down to the base of his spine. His mouth followed, and Felix gasped, clumsily thrusting his hips back, when Ashe’s tongue found his entrance and delicately traced the muscle.</p><p>Men had used spit there, when they were rushed and oil was in short supply, but no one had ever done <em> this</em>. No one had held him open and licked into him with a quiet moan, worked to loosen him with slow kisses and light sucks. Ashe seemed to be enjoying himself, if his small, pleased noises were any indication. Felix was glad, because this was something he’d definitely want again. He wanted to do it for Ashe, as well, make him whimper and fall apart, sweat sliding down his skin, and his head thrown back, the way he was doing to Felix.</p><p>Felix’s cock was achy and leaking by the time Ashe finally pulled away. He groaned, already missing the contact, and Ashe soothed him, peppering kisses across his shoulders, his hands softly caressing Felix’s flanks.</p><p>“I’ll take care of you,” he promised, and since Ashe was a man of his word, Felix believed him. Ashe would always take care of him, and in turn, Felix would do the same.</p><p>Felix heard the whisper of fabric as Ashe removed his braies, smelled the oil when Ashe uncorked it. He couldn’t identify this floral scent and didn’t care enough to ask. There was only one thing he wanted it for.</p><p>He heard the slick sound of Ashe’s spreading the slippery substance onto his length. Oil-wet fingers brushed the place where Ashe’s tongue had just been. Moments later, the head of Ashe’s cock nudged against him, and Felix breathed a sigh of relief when he pressed inside.</p><p>“I’ll never get tired of this,” Ashe said, his fingers tight on Felix’s hips, drawing him into it as Ashe pushed forward.</p><p>Felix answered with a moan, savoring the now-familiar stretch. Ashe kept it slow and steady at first, long, deep thrusts that made Felix shudder and grip the back of the settee with clawed fingers.</p><p>He got lost in it for a while—the slap of their bodies meeting, Ashe’s quick breaths and whimpers, the ache of callused fingertips digging hard into his hips.</p><p>This close to the fire, their activities left Felix dripping with sweat. He whined at the slow-building tension. Every thrust brought ecstasy, but he wanted it faster, harder. He wanted to be <em> consumed</em>.</p><p>Ashe made him wait for it, though. Made him pant in frustration as he attempted to ride back on that hard cock, only to have Ashe tighten his grip and hold him still.</p><p>“You,” Felix gritted out, bowing his head. “Fuck me. Come <em>on</em>.”</p><p>“So impatient,” Ashe said, and how he could tease at a time like this, Felix didn’t know.</p><p>Felix ground his teeth and breathed in hard. “<em>Ashe</em>.”</p><p>“What if I’d like to enjoy this view for as long as possible?” Ashe asked playfully. His fingers went to one of the gaiters. He tugged on the cuff, pulling it taut around Felix’s thigh. “You look so good, Felix.” His hand slipped between Felix’s legs, briefly cupping his sac, and then stroked his cock, just once, from the root to the sensitive crown.</p><p>Felix groaned. “Ashe. Please.”</p><p>Ashe chuckled, withdrew almost all the way, and then slammed in so hard Felix nearly bit his tongue.</p><p>“<em>Yes</em>,” he said, voice a sibilant hiss. He lowered his torso and shoved back to meet the next thrust. “Yeah. That’s it. Right… right there.”</p><p>From that point on, Ashe was absolutely merciless. He pounded into Felix, making sounds that threatened to send Felix flying over the edge.</p><p>Felix fought the urge because it felt so incredible he didn’t want it to end. He wanted to stay like this, Ashe fucking him, the fire burning to cinders beside them, and Felix going up in flames, too, drowning in the sensations. He didn’t know what made this so different from those few times with the others. Maybe it was Ashe. Maybe it was being in love. Maybe it was Felix himself, and how he finally trusted his partner enough to <em> truly </em> let go.</p><p>Whatever the case, Felix never wanted it to stop.</p><p>But of course, he could only fight his body’s desperate demands for so long.</p><p>Ashe bent over him, bearing down, and his teeth sank sharply into the meat of Felix’s left shoulder. The bite was <em> intense </em> and brought with it a deep, delicious ache that ripped a choked sob from Felix and sent him careening into an orgasm so powerful he barely noticed when Ashe started coming, trembling and moaning against Felix’s back.</p><p>They fell onto the settee in a tangled heap, Felix tipping to the side and Ashe collapsing on top of him. It was barely large enough to hold them both, and Felix’s legs hung over one of the arms, but he was too wrecked to even consider moving. Ashe didn’t seem to be in much better shape. He was panting damply against Felix’s neck, still shivering from the after-effects.</p><p>Felix stroked Ashe’s back and pressed kisses to whatever patches skin he could reach, so thoroughly relaxed and satisfied it reminded him of being under a healing spell or maybe even being intoxicated, as if he’d drunk too much ale on an empty stomach and it had all gone pleasantly rushing to his head.</p><p>Ashe started to stir. “Am I too heavy?”</p><p>Felix tightened his arms around Ashe, keeping him close. “No.”</p><p>“Okay.” Ashe sank into his embrace with a soft sigh. “We should go to the bed,” he added. He sounded sleepy again.</p><p>“In a minute.” Felix petted his hair, and Ashe turned his head to nuzzle his palm.</p><p>Tomorrow morning, they would talk to Dimitri. They would take the first step toward the future they all wanted, the future they’d all fought for—a peaceful, unified Fódlan.</p><p>But for now, Felix had everything he needed, right here in his arms. Ashe, beautiful, warm, and half-asleep. This precious man who'd made him realize that perhaps there was still some value to chivalry. Ashe had said once he thought Felix was exactly like the knight out of a story, but the opposite was true. If there was ever a person who exemplified gallantry and bravery, it was Ashe.</p><p>Felix would help Ashe pursue his ideals, and he knew Ashe would stand beside him as he stepped into his own role. It wouldn’t be easy. Felix would have to travel between the palace and Fraldarius territory. Ashe, as a knight of the Kingdom, might not always be able to accompany him. They wouldn’t be together every single moment, but they could build a life, now that the fighting was done. Finally, they had the time, but most importantly, they had each other. Whatever hardships the years would bring, Felix knew if Ashe was at his side, his world would always be bright.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! :D Comments and kudos very much appreciated!</p><p>Come find me <a href="https://twitter.com/MxTicketyBoo">on Twitter</a>, if you'd like to chat about FE3H or Ashelix!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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